The social Europe has finally awakened. It was not a guaranteed outcome. “In Europe, governments are mostly right-wing, center-right, or even nationalist. The European Parliament is center-right. In the Commission, only eight out of 28 commissioners are social democrats… Yet, over the past two years, significant progress has been made,” explains Philippe Pochet, general director of the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and author of *A la recherche de l’Europe sociale*, set to be published in May by PUF.
The turn of posting. The journey of the 1996 directive on posted work symbolizes this long hibernation followed by a thaw. The fact that workers from the European Union are paid according to the minimum wage and legal working hours in effect in the host country but can retain the social protection of their country of origin has indeed led to abuses. The low social contributions in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) became a powerful tool for social dumping. But on May 29, 2018, the revision of the directive on posted work adopted by MEPs marked a major change. Now, the posting duration is limited to one year (instead of two previously) and, for equal work, a posted worker must receive the same compensation—not just the minimum wage—as a local worker (gross salary, bonuses, advantages from collective agreements…). As for road transport, which had been excluded from this revision, it was the subject of a vote in the European Parliament on April 4th. The CEE countries retained some competitive advantages, but there are advances to note for drivers (rest at hotels instead of in the cabin, more frequent returns to the country of origin, equal pay for equal work…).
Beyond these specific achievements, the prospect of a European minimum wage is still distant. As for the text that gave life, in November 2017, to the “European pillar of social rights,” while it is commendable in terms of general principles (fair wages, gender equality, right to health protection, training…), it remains non-binding. However, without making noise, several directives protect and improve the daily lives of Europeans (work-life balance, paternity leave, musculoskeletal disorders…). Others are underway, like the revision of the directive on occupational cancers. Or in the planning stage concerning work contracts and new forms of employment. Social Europe is not racing forward, but it has resumed its journey.
Sandrine Foulon
